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Dolphin Browser is a web browser for the Android and iOS operating systems developed by MoboTap. It was one of the first alternative browsers for the Android platform[5] that introduced support for multi-touch gestures.[6] Dolphin Browser uses its native platform's default browser engine, which allows for a small disk footprint.[7] It can also run Adobe Flash on Android.[8]
Features
Tabbed browsing – users can open and switch between web pages with multiple tabs either at the top of the screen[5] or a thumbnail button at the bottom.
Dolphin Sonar – users can use their voice to search, share and navigate in Dolphin. One can say "eBay Nike Shoes" and Dolphin goes into the eBay website, searches and displays all Nike shoes available on eBay.
Gesture browsing – users can draw characters to call websites. Dolphin comes preloaded with gestures for many popular sites, such as T for Twitter and F for Facebook, and users can create custom gestures as needed.[5]
Sync – across devices and desktop browsers using Firefox and Chrome extension.
Webzine – displays web content in a magazine-style format, serving content from over 300 sources on many topics, and caching content to be available offline.[5]
Versions
Both iOS and Android versions are free without advertising.[5] There is an advanced version called Dolphin Browser for Android 2.0 or later.[9][10] Dolphin Browser Beta[11] was also launched in May 2012 and at the time it was cited as the fastest HTML5 browser by scoring over 450 on HTML5test.[12] The new own HTML5 engine Jetpack is used. In December 2013 Dolphin Zero was launched, a version aimed at user privacy. By deleting all traces like downloaded files, caches cookies and history after each session, Dolphin Zero strives to give the user the opportunity to hide browsed sites from the eyes of other people having access to the device.[13]
Privacy concerns
In October 2011, privacy concerns were raised about Dolphin browser after it was discovered that all URLs loaded in Dolphin HD were being relayed as plain text to a remote server,[14] a process described by Ars Technica as "an unambiguous breach of privacy".[15] This breach was patched in the next update.[16]
Reception
Since its initial release for Android, Dolphin has received generally positive reviews from both the media and the public.[17] Both the Android and iOS versions have been particularly lauded for their gesture-based functionality, speed and ease-of-use.[18]Business Insider claims "Dolphin Browser blows Safari out of the water."[19] The browser holds an 87% approval rating on rating aggregator site Rouvou.[20] Only Safari, Firefox, and Chrome have higher ratings.[21]
As of November 15, 2011 Dolphin Browser iOS has maintained a 5 star rating across more than 6,500 reviews in the App Store.[22] Dolphin Browser HD for Android had over 600,000 5 star reviews on Google Play (highest among browsers) but in April 2014 this rating fell, following a flurry of 1 star reviews by customers dissatisfied with changes made in the version 11 release.[23]
Awards
Since its launch, Dolphin Browser has received several notable awards. The app was named one of PC Magazine's Best Free iPhone and iPad Apps of 2011,[24] was a PC Magazine Editors Choice in 2012,[25] and was named to the CNet 100 in 2011.[26]
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